Rolling toy



Sept. 3, 1963 H. B. PENINGER 37,102,361

, ROLLING TOY Filed Oct. 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HEENON B. EhHNG-EE ATTQENEYS Sept. 3, 1963 H. B. PENINGER ROLLING TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 27, 1961 I v m INVENTORT F5. D m NG-EE HEQNON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,102,361 ROLLHJG TOY Hermon B. Peninger, 320 S. Ediston Ave, Columbia 5, S-Q. Filed Oct. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 148,114 Claims. (Cl. 46-205) This invention relates to a novel rolling toy having a Whirligig carrying a plurality of figurines.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a more practical, stronger, and mechanically more efli- ClBllJl'. toy of the kind indicated, having 'a single surface engaging wheel of non-slip form, and a hinged handle which provides for operation of the toy, with the Whirligig in a level position, by children of different heights.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description .and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a rolling toy of the present invention;

. FIGURE 2 is a side elevation thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2; a

FIGURE 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the Whirligig, per se;

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated toy comprises a vertically elongated frame 1!) having parallel, laterally spaced fiat L-shaped side members having normally perpendicular vertical bars 12 and horizontal right-angled, transversely extending horizontal bars 14. The side members are formed with centered transverse bores 16 at the junction of the vertical and horizontal bars. Erect right-triangular brace plates 18 are suitably secured to the outer sides of the frame side members, the base edges 20 and the altitude edges 22 of the brace plates being flush with the bottom edges 24 of the horizontal bars 14 and the forward edges 26 of the vertical bars 12, respectively.

The brace plates 18 are formed with transverse bores 28 which are aligned with the bores 16 of the side members, through which extends a wheel bearing sleeve 30. A bolt 32 extends through the sleeve 30 and washers 34, on the bolt, bear against the outer surface of the brace plates 18. A single groundor floor-engaging wheel 36 comprises 21 preferably solid hub 38 provided with an axial bore 48 which rotatably receives the bearing sleeve and has first and second ends 42 and 44, respectively, which are closely spaced from the inner surfaces of the frame side members, as shown in FIGURE 4, the sleeve 30 having thereon two washers 46 intervening between one frame side member and the first hub end 42, and a single washer 48 between the second hub end 44 and the other frame side member. The wheel 36 further comprise a relatively thin disc 50 surrounding the hub 38 and offset toward the second end 44 of the hub. The disc 60 has a peripheral groove 52 in which is secured a compressible non-slip preferably solid tire 53, of rubber-like material, which assures non-slip engagement and effective rotation of the wheel 36 on smooth surfaces.

The frame further comprises upper and lower inverted channel brackets 54 and 56, having webs 58, and pendant legs 68 which are suitably fixed to the inner sur faces of the vertical bars 12 of the frame side members. The upper bracket 54 has its web 58 flush with the upper ends of the vertical bars 12, and the web 58 of the lower bracket 56 is located substantially midway between the web 58 of the upper bracket, and the top of the wheel 36.

The webs 58 of the upper and lower brackets are formed with hearing holes 62 and 64, respectively, through which is journalled an upstanding shaft 66 which has a bevel pinion 68, fixed on its lower end, below the web of the lower bracket, as indicated at 7 0. A stop collar '72 is fixed on the shaft 66 above and bears upon the upper surface of the web 58 of the lower bracket. The bevel pinion 68 is in mesh with a horizontal axis bevel gear wheel 74 which is journalled on a transverse horizontal axle 76 which extends between and is secured to the vertical frame bars 12, and through openings 78 in the'legs 60 of the lower bracket 56, the axle haxing thereon a washer 80 which spaces the outer end 82 of the gear wheel 74 from the inner surface of the vertical bar '12, more remote from the wheel disc 50. Drive between the wheel 36 and the gear wheel 74 is provided by a round belt 84 which is trained in a groove 86, in the gear wheel 74, and a groove 88 in the Wheel hub 38, at same side of the wheel disc 58 as the gear wheel 74.

The shaft 66 supports a Whirligig 90, above the frame 10, which comprises a fiat horizontal disc 92, substantially larger in diameter than the width of the frame 10, and having an enlarged cross section central portion 94, on which is a reduced diameter pendant hub 96. The disc 92 is provided with a vertical axial bore 98 which receives the shaft 66 therethrough, to extend above the disc 92, and a set screw 181) traverses the hub 96 and engages the shaft 66 for securing the disc 92 for rotation with the shaft 66, and at a desired height above the frame 10. A decorative and protective ball 102 is secured on the upper end of the shaft 66.

At equal circumferential intervals around the disc 92, short standards 104 rise from the disc and support figurines 186 above the disc. The figurines 106 can be all the same or of different forms, of any desired nature, including vehicles, airplanes, mounted riders, and the like.

The illustrated toy further comprises an elongated straight handle 108, having a rounded free end 110 and a reduced and flattened terminal 112, on its other end, having flat upper and lower surfaces, on which are secured, as by means of bolts 114, the fiat legs 116 of a bracket 118 having :an irregularly shaped loop 120 from whose ends the legs 116 extend. The loop 120 conformably embraces a substantially half-round block 122 which has a bore 124 which rotatably receives the shank 126 of a bolt 128 which extends through the horizontal bars 14 of the frame side members, at their free or rear ends. As shown in FIGURE 5, the block 122 has a flat surface 130 which is engaged by a flat portion 132 of the bracket loop 120, whereby the handle 108 is secured non-rotatably to the block 122. This hinging of the handle to the frame 10 enables maintaining the Whirligig 9 0 in a horizontal position and the frame 18, in an erect position, when the handle 108 is held by children of different heights, in pulling or pushing the toy along a surface, such as a floor F. In view of the fact that the toy is equally adapted to be pulled or pushed along a surface, the terms forward and rear, as herein used, are merely for aid in description.

It will be seen from the foregoing that when .the toy is pushed along a surface, the resultant rotation of the wheel 36, produces rotation of the Whirligig 90, in one direction, while pulling the toy produces opposite rotation of the Whirligig.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contem- 3 plated as being within the scopeof the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A rolling toy comprising a vertically elongated frame, a transverse axis single ground engaging Wheel journalled on and extending below the frame, a vertical shaft journalled on and extending above the frame, a Whirligig fixed on said shaft above the frame, a bevel pinion fixed on the lower part of said shaft, a transverse axis bevel gear wheel jo'urnalled on the frame and meshed with said pinion, said gear wheel having a peripheral groove, said ground engaging wheel having a hub having a peripheral groove, and a belt extending between and trained around the gear Wheel and the wheel hub in said grooves, said frame comprising laterally spaced vertical bars between which said shaft, and gear wheel, and said ground engaging wheel are positioned, said bevel gear Wheel being engaged with one of said vertical bars.

, 2. A rolling t-oy comprising 'a vertically elongated frame, a transverse axis single ground engaging wheel journalled on and extending below the frame, a vertical .shaft journalled on and extending above the frame, a Whirligig fixed on said shaft above the frame, a bevel pinion fixed on the lower part of said shaft, a transverse axis bevel gear wheel journalled on the frame and meshed with said pinion, sa-id gear wheel having a peripheral groove, said ground engaging wheel having a hub having a peripheral groove, :and a belt extending between and trained around the gear wheel and the wheel hub in said grooves, said frame comprising laterally spaced vertical bars between which said shaft, and gear wheel, and said ground engaging wheel are positioned, said bevel gear wheel being engaged with one of said vertical bars, vertically spaced upper and lower brackets spaced above said ground engaging wheel and positioned between and fixed to said vertical bars, said brackets having Webs formed with aligned bearing holes through which said vertical shaft extends, stop means on said shaft bearing upon the web of the lower bracket, said gear wheel and said pinion being below the web of the lower bracket.

3. A rolling toy comprising a vertically elongated frame, a transverse axis single ground engaging wheel journalled on and extending below the frame, a vertical shaft journ-alled on and extending above the frame, a Whirligig fixed on said shaft above the frame, a bevel pinion fixed on the lower part of said shaft, a transverse axis bevel gear wheel journalled on the frame and meshed with said pinion, said gear wheel having a peripheral groove, said ground engaging wheel having a hub having a peripheral groove, and a belt extending between and trained around the :gear wheel and the wheel hub in said grooves, said frame comprising laterally spaced vertical bars between which said shaft, and gear wheel, and said ground engaging wheel are positioned, said bevel gear tending through the sleeve, said ground engaging wheel having an axial bore receivingthe bearing sleeve.

4. A rolling toy comprising a vertically elongated frame, a transverse axis single ground engaging wheel journalled on and extending below the frame, a vertical shaft journalled and extending above the frame, a Whirligig fixed on said shaft above the frame, a bevel pinion fixed on the lower part of said shaft, a transverse axis bevel gear wheel journalled on the frame and meshed with said pinion, said gear wheel having a peripheral groove, said ground engaging wheel having a hub having a peripheral groove, and a belt extending between and trained around the gear wheel and the Wheel hub in said grooves, said frame comprising laterally spaced vertical bars between which said shaft, and gear wheel, and said ground engaging wheel are positioned, said bevel gear wheel being engaged with one of said vertical bars, said frame further comprising horizontal bars extending longitudinally from the vertical bars at the lower ends of the vertical bars, said horizontal bars having free ends, triangular brace plates extending between and secured to the outer sides of the vertical and horizontal bars, and an elongated handle having one end positioned between and horizontally hinged on the horizontal bars at their free ends.

5. A rolling toy comprising a vertically elongated frame, a transverse axis single ground engaging wheel journalled on and extending below the frame, a vertical shaft journalled and extending above the frame, a Whirligig fixed on said shaft above the frame, a bevel pinion fixed on the lower part of said shaft, a transverse axis bevel gear wheel journ-alled on the frame and meshed with said pinion, said gear wheel having a peripheral groove, said ground engaging Wheel having a hub having a peripheral groove, and a belt extending between and trained around the gear wheel and the wheel hub in said grooves, said frame comprising laterally spaced vertical bars between which said shaft, and gear wheel, and said ground engaging wheel are positioned, said bevel gear wheel being engaged with one of said vertical bars, said frame further comprising horizontal bars extending longitudinally from the vertical bars at the lower ends of the vertical bars, said horizontal bars having free ends, triangular brace plates extending between and secured to the outer sides of the vertical and horizontal bars, and an elongated handle having one end positioned between and horizontally hinged on the horizontal bars at their free ends, a bolt extending through and between the horizontal bars at wheel being engaged with one of said vertical bars, said vertical bars having aligned bores at their lower ends, a bearing sleeve extending through said bores, a bolt extheir free ends, a block positioned between the horizontal bars and journalled on said bolt, and a bracket fixed to and extending from said one end of the handle and securably embracing said block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,397,989 Smurr Nov. 22, 1921 1,678,797 Arnold July 31, 1928 1,811,934 Hudson June 30, 1931 

1. A ROLLING TOY COMPRISING A VERTICALLY ELONGATED FRAME, A TRANSVERSE AXIS SINGLE GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL JOURNALLED ON AND EXTENDING BELOW THE FRAME, A VERTICAL SHAFT JOURNALLED ON AND EXTENDING ABOVE THE FRAME, A WHIRLIGIG FIXED ON SAID SHAFT ABOVE THE FRAME, A BEVEL PINION FIXED ON THE LOWER PART OF SAID SHAFT, A TRANSVERSE AXIS BEVEL GEAR WHEEL JOURNALLED ON THE FRAME AND MESHED WITH SAID PINION, SAID GEAR WHEEL HAVING A PERIPHERAL GROOVE, SAID GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL HAVING A HUB HAVING A PERIPHERAL GROOVE, AND A BELT EXTENDING BETWEEN AND TRAINED AROUND THE GEAR WHEEL AND THE WHEEL HUB IN SAID GROOVES, SAID FRAME COMPRISING LATERALLY SPACED VERTICAL BARS BETWEEN WHICH SAID SHAFT, AND GEAR WHEEL, AND SAID GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL ARE POSITIONED, SAID BEVEL GEAR WHEEL BEING ENGAGED WITH ONE OF SAID VERTICAL BARS. 